Sooners Face Baylor in Final Road Test

TUESDAY'S GAME BASICS

Coming off of a win over Kansas State on Saturday, Oklahoma (17-11, 7-9 Big 12) continues to battle for postseason positioning when it plays its final road game of the season on Tuesday. The Sooners head to Waco, Texas, to face Baylor (17-12, 7-9) at 8 p.m. CT. OU is coming off of one of its best shooting performances of conference play, lighting up K-State for 11 3-pointers and shooting .527 from the field. The Sooners narrowly edged the Bears in the first meeting of the season and will look for their fifth season sweep of Baylor in eight years.

ON THE AIR

Tuesday’s matchup will air on the Sooner Radio Network (KRXO 107.7 FM “The Franchise” in Oklahoma City; KTBZ 1430 AM in Tulsa) with Toby Rowland and Kevin Henry announcing. The game will be televised nationally on ESPN2 with Bob Wischusen and Fran Fraschilla calling the action.

THREE POINTERS

• With two games remaining in the regular season, Oklahoma freshman guard Trae Young is only a few points shy of major scoring milestones. Young has scored a nation-leading 793 points this season (28.3 per game) - 273 more than the conference’s second-leading scorer (Devonte’ Graham of Kansas). With three points on Tuesday, Young can surpass Michael Beasley (795) for the most points in the regular season in Big 12 history. If Young reaches eight points, he will be just the second player from a major conference to reach 800 points during the regular season in the past 20 years, joining JJ Redick of Duke (833 in 2005-06). No freshman from any conference has scored 800 regular-season points in the past two decades. Young would also be just the second Division I player to total 800 points and 250 assists in the same season in at least 20 years, joining Key Felder of Oakland (2015-16).

• Young is 18 points shy Wayman Tisdale’s OU freshman scoring record (810). Tisdale, who averaged 24.5 points, 10.3 rebounds and 2.5 blocks in his rookie season (1982-83), had such a memorable year that the U.S. Basketball Writers Association named its national freshman of the year award after him in 2010.

• Junior center Jamuni McNeace is coming off the first two starts of his collegiate career. In those two starts, McNeace averaged 14.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks while shooting 11-of-16 (.688) from the field.

Jamuni McNeace is averaging 14.0 points and 6.0 rebounds since earning a spot in the starting lineup two games ago.

SERIES HISTORY VS. BAYLOR

• Oklahoma owns a 45-14 record over Baylor and has won 42 of its last 52 games against the Bears.

• The Sooners boast a 19-7 advantage when playing Baylor in Waco. Oklahoma’s .731 winning percentage in Waco is its second-best road record against a Big 12 foe, behind only OU’s 9-2 record at TCU.

• OU defeated Baylor, 98-96, in the first meeting of the season and will be going for its 17th sweep of the Bears since joining the Big 12.

PLAY FAST, SCORE BUCKETS

• Oklahoma boasts a 17-11 record behind the second-highest-scoring offense in the nation. The Sooners average 87.0 points per game and have scored at least 90 points in 12 of their 28 games - including six games in triple digits.

• The Sooners aren’t just scoring in bunches - they’re playing fast. Oklahoma is third in the nation and first among major conferences in KenPom.com’s adjusted tempo rankings (possesions per 40 minutes adjusted to the opponenet) with 75.9. Oklahoma’s average possession is 14.0 seconds long, the fastest among major conferences and second-fastest overall.

• Oklahoma is 9-1 when shooting above 50 percent, 13-1 when making at least 10 3-pointers and 7-0 when it hands out at least 20 assists.

• Oklahoma has scored 45 or more points in 21 of its 56 halves this season and has scored at least 40 points before halftime in all but eight contests.

• The Sooners have scored at least 100 points in six games – their most in a season since the 1992-93 season, when Oklahoma reached the century mark in nine games. Oklahoma’s six triple-digit games are the second-most in a season by an Big 12 team since the conference was formed in 1996. The 2001-02 Kansas squad (12 games) is the only team with more.

OH, TO BE YOUNG...

• Oklahoma’s offensive efforts have been led by the scoring and passing of freshman guard Trae Young. In 28 games, the Norman native has put together 12 double-doubles, 23 20-plus-point games, nine 30-plus-point games and four 40-plus-point games. Young is averaging 28.3 points, 9.1 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.6 steals while shooting .431 from the field and .374 from 3-point range. He leads the nation in scoring and averages over 10 points more than any other Big 12 player (Kansas’ Devonte’ Graham is second with 17.9). Young’s 9.1 assists also lead the country. No player in recorded NCAA history has finished a season leading the country in both scoring and assists.

• Just 28 games into his collegiate career, Young already owns the program record for total assists (256), 3-pointers (107) and made foul shots (220) in a freshman season. Among all-time freshman leaders at OU, Young also ranks second in points (793), third in made shots (233) and fourth in steals (46).

• Young’s collegiate career only consists of 28 games, but he has reached 40 points on four occasions, most recently scoring 44 against Baylor on Jan. 30. Young produced a career-high 48 points against Oklahoma State on Jan. 20. Young’s 48 points are tied for the most ever by a Big 12 player (Iowa State’s Melvin Ejim also scored 48 in 2014) and is the second-highest-scoring game by a Division-I player this season. His 48 points are the fifth-most in Oklahoma program history and the second-most by an OU freshman. Young also scored 43 points on Nov. 26 against Oregon and again on Jan. 13 versus TCU. He is the 15th Sooner to score 40 points in a game, but just the second to do so as a freshman. Wayman Tisdale is the only Sooner freshman to score more in a game (51) in the 1982-83 season. Young is also the fourth player in program history to score 40 points in a game multiple times, joining Tisdale (five), Stacey King (two), and Jeff Webster (two).

UP NEXT: IOWA STATE

• Next up, the Sooners close out the regular season on their home court when Iowa State comes to the LNC on Friday at 8 p.m. CT. The "Senior Night" contest will honor OU's lone senior, Khadeem Lattin, and air on ESPN2.

• OU leads the overall series against ISU, 115-87, and boasts a 64-23 advantage when playing in Norman.